Role Reversal: Sora and Kairi
by Cyberweasel89
Summary: What if Sora and Kairi's roles throughout their adventures were reversed? This is the story of Kairi, Keybearer, and Sora, the Prince of Hearts.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney.

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**Rating:** T

**Genres:** Adventure, action, romance

**Summary:** What if Sora and Kairi's roles throughout their adventures were reversed? This is the story of Kairi, Keybearer, and Sora, the Prince of Hearts.

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**Note to Kairi Lovers:** Kairi's going to be the hero for once. Rejoice!

**Note to Kairi Haters:** Kairi's going to get beaten up a lot and forced into embarrassing situations. Rejoice!

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Kingdom Hearts

**Role Reversal:** Sora and Kairi

**Book 1:** Light

By _Cyberweasel89_

**Prologue:** Dive to the Heart

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"_I've been having these weird thoughts lately..."_

That was her voice, but she wasn't saying it... Or thinking it...

"_Like... is any of this for real... or not?"_

Kairi opened her eyes to find herself floating in a deep, watery abyss. She could breathe... but it was cold. Cold and lonely. She couldn't move as she found herself sinking deeper into the dark depths. As she picked up speed, she closed her eyes again, opening them to find herself standing on a beach. The island she played on with her friends.

Her friend Riku stood out in the waves, shin-deep in the water. His long silver tresses were flowing in the breeze, facing away from her like he hadn't noticed her yet. Kairi was about to call out to him, but the sun glared from over her friend's head, forcing her to raise her hand to shield her eyes.

Realizing that he hadn't noticed her yet, Kairi decided she'd sneak up on him. She began to run out into the water, but stopped. The tide was going out... very fast... Almost like...

Sure enough, she looked up to see a huge tidal wave forming before her and Riku and coming towards them. It was only then that Riku turned his head to give her a sideways glance, before completely turning around to face her, reaching his gloved hand out. Kairi made a mad dash for her friend, but her movements seemed sluggish. The tidal wave came crashing down, sending her tumbling through the water.

When she stopped doing flips in the water, she looked to see Riku floating just in front of her. He reached his hand out again, and Kairi reached for it, but a strong current pushed her back. She tried to swim against it, but it pushed her away and upward. She broke the ocean's surface, throwing her head back for a gasp of air. It was sunset now, instead of midday.

Kairi looked around, seeing her other friend Sora standing on the beach. He was waving to her, his brown spiky hair bouncing with each movement, though she couldn't make out what he was saying. Kairi waved back and began wading through the water towards him. When she reached him, she was thoroughly tired out, and bent over to catch her breath. Sora laughed, but his laughter soon stopped. Kairi looked up to see her friend gazing at something in the sky. She turned to look and her eyes widened. There seemed to be a meteor shower in the distance, blue streaks of light falling from the heavens. But there was something else falling towards them... It was her.

As she leaned back to watch herself flying towards her, Kairi lost her balance and fell backwards. She turned to see Sora give a start, and found herself falling several feet, as if from high in the air. When she looked up, Sora was standing on air, reaching down for her, but his image was soon warped like droplets of rain on the surface of the water.

She fell for a while longer before hitting the water. It didn't hurt, and she didn't lose speed as she continued to sink deeper into the ocean. It was cold, dark, and lonely... but she found herself slowing. She opened her eyes to find her descent flipping upright of its own accord, her feet landing on a dark surface that was almost invisible in the deep blue depths. She looked around with confusion, taking a single step forward to find the darkness fleeing from the floor as a flock of doves, revealing a massive stained-glass platform. It seemed to depict a pale girl in a dress holding a red apple, surrounded by bearded men.

Kairi looked down at her reflection in the stained glass. Dark red hair cut short and framing her face, blue eyes. Her entire body was pale and cold... Where was this place? Was this a dream?

"_So much to do... so little time..."_

She turned to find where the voice was coming from, but saw no one. It came from all directions, but also seemed to be inside her head as well. She didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded a little familiar... female, too.

"_Take your time. Don't be afraid... The door is still shut... Now... step forward. Can you do it?"_

Kairi did so, walking out to the center of the stained glass platform. As she did, three pedestals arose at the edges of the platform, forming a perfect triangle.

"_Power sleeps within you."_

A red and blue shield appeared floating over one, shaped like a half-oval and with three circles on the face, two at the upper-left and upper-right sides of the larger circle.

"_If you give it form..."_

A green staff appeared on one of the other pedestals, a blue ornament in the same shape as what was on the shield.

"_It will give you strength."_

A double-edged sword appeared on the final pedestal, with a finely polished blade, blue grip, yellow pommel, and yellow cross-guard. Inlaid in the middle of the cross-guard was a red ornament with the same three-circle symbol as on the staff and shield.

"_Choose well."_

Kairi thought for a moment before making a dash for the sword. She climbed onto the pedestal and grabbed the hilt, filling its weight in her hands and running her finger along the blade.

"_The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?"_

Of course I want the cool sword, she thought to herself. She was about to answer the voice, but it seemed she didn't need to.

"_Your path is set."_

The sword burst into a ball of light, which sparkled and vanished.

"_Now, what will you give up in exchange?"_

Kairi thought about her choice for a while... She ultimately walked over to the staff, climbing onto the pedestal and holding it in her hands.

"_The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?"_

Magic doesn't exist anyway, so, yeah, she thought to herself. Again, she didn't seem to need to answer the voice aloud. It vanished in another burst and sparkle of light.

"_You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?"_

Kairi looked up and was about to answer yes, but the pedestal shook and sank into the floor, forcing her to hop off of it. Seconds later, the stained glass platform began shattering, falling to pieces from both ends to the center where she stood. It gave way, and Kairi began falling again.

As she fell and fell, Kairi saw another stained-glass platform below. As opposed to the green of the last one, this one was blue, with a brunette woman in a flowing blue dress depicted on it. She landed gently on her bare feet, looking around with interest.

"_You've gained the power to fight."_

In a burst of light, the sword from earlier appeared in her hand. Kairi gave it a few test swings, and even did a jumping downward slash, though regretted it. In her current state of dress, her anatomy was unsupported. But at least the activity warmed her up a bit. Though the embarrassment of wondering if the voice was watching did, too.

"_All right! You've got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others."_

Realizing the voice had, indeed, seen her, she blushed and crossed her arms over her bare chest. But an odd sound drew her attention. She whirled around to see some sort of black creature rising from the floor. It had tiny, yet sharp, claws, little antennae, and glowing yellow eyes.

"_There will be times you have to fight."_

A second and third rose from the floor right next to the first.

"_Keep your light burning strong."_

Kairi held the sword in both hands, running forward and cutting one of the shadow creatures with a sideways slash. It burst into black smoke. She turned to take on the other two, but they sunk into the floor and vanished. Heh, probably turned tail and ran after seeing her kill their friend. Feeling proud of herself, Kairi stabbed the Dream Sword into the floor to lean on it, bringing her other hand up to yawn.

"_Behind you!"_

Kairi whirled around to see a Shadow creature sneaking up on her. It lunged forward and sank its claws into her forearm. With a hiss of pain, she threw it off and jumped, stabbing her sword into the Shadow. It burst into black smoke and faded away, but more were gathering around her. Trying to ignore her bleeding arm, she turned and thrust her sword forward, but the Shadow sunk into the floor, and crawled around behind her. She saw it, though, and brought her Dream Sword down on the beast with a downward swing. This, however, left her open to attack from a third Shadow, which scratched a few shallow cuts into the small of her back. Growling, Kairi whirled around and swung her Dream Sword at it as she spun, dispersing it into black smoke.

There was one more left, and she turned to face it, but it sunk into the ground, leaving a dark smudge on the ground in front of her. Another formed to her left, to her right, and behind her. She looked to see darkness consuming portions of the stained glass platform, eventually one appearing under her feet. She found herself sinking in, the icy cold of the darkness biting her bare skin.

Kairi thrashed around and struggled against the all-consuming darkness, but found the chill leave her. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on her back on another stained glass platform. This one was primarily pink, with intricate designs centered around hearts depicted on it. There was also a pink door in front of her, but it was... semi-transparent. She stood up and reached for the handle, only to find her hand go right through it.

A beam of light shined down on the other side of the stained glass platform, a red and gold treasure chest appearing under it. She ran over and summoned her Dream Sword to her hand, tapping the top of the chest. It snapped open, revealing a bottle of strange blue liquid inside.

"_You're wounded. Drink that to recover your strength."_

Shrugging, Kairi popped the cork on the bottle, held her nose, and chugged it. She wished she hadn't held her nose... it tasted delicious. Like all her favorite foods blended together in perfect harmony. She watched as the scratches on her back and arm all closed up again, not even leaving scars.

In a flash of light, a wooden crate appeared in the center of the stained glass platform. Kairi walked up to it, giving it a push. It easily slid, so she pushed it up against the still see-through door. It stopped and wouldn't move any more. She grabbed her Dream Sword and with a mighty few swings smashed it to pieces. She found another bottle of the strange blue liquid inside. When she looked, the frame of the door had become fully solid, but the actual door and handles were still transparent.

The remains of the crate vanished, as did the odd Potion, but a wooden barrel appeared next. Kairi ran up and attempted to lift it... but it was too heavy. So she turned it on its side and rolled it, sending it smashed into the door. In a flash of light, the rest of it became solid.

Kairi walked up to the door, reaching for the handles. But she recoiled when it began opening on its own, a bright light shining forth from the other side. The light shined brighter, forcing her to close her eyes to not be blinded.

She opened them when she felt an island breeze on her cheeks.

"_Hold on. The door won't open just yet."_

She was standing in the tree house of her play island, three of her friends standing around her.

"_First, tell me more about yourself."_

Kairi first approached Selphie, the girl in the yellow dress.

"What's most important to you?" she asked.

"Uh... Friendship, I guess." Kairi shrugged.

"Is friendship really that big a deal?" the girl responded.

Kairi gave her friend a glare, crossing her arms and turning to walk up to her friend Tidus. He wore uneven shorts and a yellow vest over a white shirt.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked.

Kairi thought for a moment. "Uhhh... I guess what's lurking in the darkness."

"What's lurking in the darkness? Is that really so scary?"

Sighing, Kairi turned and walked over to her friend Wakka. He was older than the three of them, as evidenced by his height. He wore yellow pants and sandals, and was holding a blue and white ball.

"What do you want outta life?" he asked.

That was an easy one. "I just want to be happy."

"To be happy, huh?"

"_Friendship is important to you. You're afraid of what's lurking in the darkness. You want to be happy... Your adventure begins at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one... The day you will open the door is both far off and very near."_

A flash of light, blinded Kairi for a moment. When her vision cleared, she was standing on another stained glass platform. This one was primarily orange, depicting a blonde woman in a purple dress, surrounded by thorny vines.

She took a step forward, only for a whole gaggle of the Shadow creatures to surround her. She summoned her Dream Sword to her hand and held it at the ready. With a mighty swing, she slashed through one Shadow, dispersing it into black smoke. The others jumped her, but she leaped to the side and began a series of back and forth swings to four of them at once, eventually killing them. One began to lunge at her from behind, but Kairi had learned her lesson from last time. She held the sword's blade facing her and thrust it between her arm and torso, the blade stabbing into the Shadow's head. Another leaped at her, but she knocked it away with a swing of her Dream Sword. As it lay on the ground, Kairi jumped and thrust her sword downward, stabbing into the creature and killing it.

As she stood there panting, a spot light shone from above just in front of her. As she walked forward and into the light, it moved to the edge of the stained glass platform, steps appear and curving upwards. She ran up the steps, looking back to find them disappearing behind her. The stained glass stairs eventually led to another platform, this one primarily yellow, and depicting a woman in a flowing golden gown. A faint beam of light shone in the center on the platform, which Kairi carefully approached.

"_The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes."_

Kairi turned around to see that her shadow was, indeed, very long and clearly defined. It turned to face her when she looked at it, but then began rising off the floor of its own accord. She took a mighty step back as her shadow began towering higher and higher.

"_But don't be afraid."_

Her shadow began taking shape, standing on toeless feet ending in long, zigzagging points.

"_And don't forget..."_

A face with glowing yellow eyes stared down at her from up above, nose and mouth obscured by a black scarf, while its hair, similar to hers, was longer and flowing all around it. Below the scarf was her shadow's breasts, but below that was a heart-shaped hole in its abdomen. Atrophied bat wings sprouted from its shoulder blades. It looked so much like her, but pure darkness... like her own personal Darkside. She promptly turned and ran away from the towering creature. She ran and ran, nearly falling off the edge of the stained glass platform. Kairi whirled around, summoning her Dream Sword to her hands and facing her Darkside. She swallowed hard, trying to work up a bit of courage.

Her Darkside loomed over her, bending its knees as if getting ready for something. She took the opportunity to jump and slash at its hands and wrists. It ignored her blows, despite the shallow cuts she was making that oozed black smoke, punching the floor in front of it and summoning a dark vortex. Shadow creatures rose from the darkness, but she ignored them, just swinging wildly at her Darkside's fist. But when one left a nasty scratch on her bare back, Kairi turned around and hacked at the creatures. She kept swinging until they were all dead, and turned around to see her Darkside standing straight again.

She couldn't reach its hands now, so she ran and swung her Dream Sword at its ankles. It left a nasty gash in her Darkside's leg, which oozed black smoke. The monstrosity didn't even make a grunt of pain, but dropped to one knee from the blow, so Kairi jumped onto its hand and climbed up its arm, cutting a gash as she ran. When she reached its head, she swung and swung at its head, cutting off locks of its hair that fell to the ground and shriveled away, black smoke oozing from the wound.

Kairi was halted when her Darkside stood and grabbed her, holding her firmly in its large hand. It held her up, staring at her as she struggled. Without a sound, it squeezed her, causing her to cry out in pain and she heard several of her bones give creaking noises. She hoped it hadn't broken one of her ribs. The last thing she needed was a punctured lung, but broken ribs should hurt more than this, right?

Her Darkside threw her, sending her slamming to the ground and dropping her Dream Sword, the weapon sliding away. Now she was sure she had broken something from hitting the floor so hard. Next she felt a foot pinning her down. She looked up to see her Darkside gathering some kind of purple and black energy into the heart-shaped hole in its abdomen. She struggled against the weight of its foot pinning her down, wishing she had her Dream Sword.

Kairi reached out for her fallen weapon, wishing it would just appear in her hand. To her surprise, the blade vanished in a burst of light, doing just that. Renewed strength flowing through her, she stabbed the blade into her Darkside's foot, causing it to release its weight on her enough so she could get free and run to avoid the incoming blast of purple and black energy.

Similar blasts followed her after being shot from the hole in her Darkside's abdomen, and it took careful jumps and maneuvering to avoid them. She thought that was the last of them, but then she felt a shadow above her. She looked up to see a blast falling down on her. Kairi dove to the side, rolling just out of range, but the purple and black ball landed and exploded, her left arm caught in the blast. The pain was so great it brought tears to her eyes. She pulled it away to see it was severely burned and felt extremely cold. She stood up, finding the limb limp and useless. She wouldn't be able to take a direct hit from one of those. She had to end this now.

Her Darkside gathered energy to its right hand, pounding the floor of the platform to summon more of those Shadow creatures. She had to take this chance. Kairi ran for the arm, pushing through a gauntlet of those Shadows. The creatures scratched her up as she ran, but she climbed onto her Darkside's hand and ran up its arm. One arm lay useless at her side, but she jumped and stabbed her Dream Sword into its eye. The monstrosity recoiled, yellow liquid oozing from where her blade stabbed and stuck. Kairi was thrown of balance from the monstrosity's writhing, and fell to the ground, the air leaving her lugs as she landed hard on her back.

She looked up to see her Darkside stand tall once again, her Dream Sword vanishing from its still oozing eye. It brought its open palm down on her, but Kairi managed to work up enough strength to roll out of the way. She wished for the blade to return to her hand, but nothing happened. Another hand pounded down near her, but she managed to get up and stumble away from the impact. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, looking up to see her Darkside staring down at her, yellow puss oozing from its left eye. Then, a black vortex manifested on the floor she sat on.

"_But don't be afraid."_

The darkness enveloped her bare leg, her Darkside looming over her.

"_You hold the mightiest weapon of all."_

Kairi tried to turn and crawl away, but the darkness was holding her down, pulling her in, while her Darkside leaned closer towards her. She reached forward, but the cold blackness wrapped around her bare arm.

"_So don't forget..."_

Kairi turned around and looked up to find herself almost nose-to-nose with her Darkside, the darkness already beginning to wrap over her face.

"_You are the one... who will open the door."_


End file.
